Art

Section

Art Illustration

Delicate Watercolor Landscapes Embodied by South African Wildlife

South Africa-based artist Sujay Sanan‘s series A Place I Know documents landscapes across the Western Cape, embedding the spaces inside animals that inhabit each. Sanan grew up in the Himalayas, and his new works are a way to explore his new surroundings, while also bringing attention to the increasing climate change and its effects on wildlife.

“My works document landscapes seen through the species that inhabit them,” he explains. “Some of the places I have painted are familiar and close to where I live, while in others I have found myself as a momentary visitor. While these works document what I fear might be lost, they are also filled with optimism.” You can see more of Sanan’s watercolor paintings on his website and Instagram. (via Colossal Submissions)

Art

ATTENTION: Public Warning Signs by April Soetarman Engage the Emotions of Unsuspecting Pedestrians

Designer and artist April Soetarman has been producing and anonymously hanging custom street signs around her hometown of Seattle since 2016. The practice started as a way for her to diversify her art-making, which had previously been more architecture-based, in addition to working through some feelings she was processing at the time. After her original “NOTICE: I Never Stopped Loving You. Hope You’re Well” sign became viral, she began producing other rewrites of classic street and warning signs and adding them to her website Weird Side Projects.

After several requests for her most popular sign “ATTENTION: You Are Wonderful And Deserve Every Happiness,” Soetarman decided to go public with the design and recently started a Kickstarter to fund a larger run. You can see more of her aluminum signs, and further art projects, on her website and Instagram. (via This Isn’t Happiness)

Art Photography

Camouflaged Self-Portraits Conceal Photographer Cecilia Paredes Against Bright Floral Patterns

Peruvian artist Cecilia Paredes is the subject of her own richly patterned photographs, yet her figure is often difficult to locate at first. For each portrait she hangs boldly printed fabrics as the backdrop, which she then matches either with her painted skin, custom clothing, or both. Her torso, arms, and face fade into the background, as the curvature of her body and brown hair become some of the only indicators of her presence.

“I wrap, cover, or paint my body with the same pattern of the material and re-present myself as part of that landscape,” she explains. “Through this act, I am working on the theme of building my own identification with the entourage or part of the world where I live or where I feel I can call home. My bio has been described as nomadic so maybe this is also a need of addressing the process of constant relocation.”

Paredes was born in Lima, Peru and currently works between Philadelphia, Lima, and Costa Rica. Currently she has a solo exhibition at Museum of Latin America Art (MOLAA) in Los Angeles through December 30, 2018, and will open another solo exhibition at the Museum of the University of Navarra (MUN) in Spain on March 27, 2019. (via LensCulture)

Art Illustration

Night Imagined as a Human-like Figure in New Black and White Illustrations by David Álvarez

Illustrator David Álvarez (previously) is fascinated by working with shadows and light, finding black and white drawings to be one of his favorite ways to solve the images he conjures in his head. His most recent series, I Dreamed I Was the Night, follows a dark figure as it stalks, sits, and sleeps throughout the countryside. The night-cloaked being is dotted with twinkling stars, and in one particular illustration pulls a bright moon away from his face like a mask. The series of images is currently an online catalog, and Álvarez has plans on turning the collection into a narrative for a story. You can view more of his black and white illustrations on Instagram.

Art Design

Spiked Sculptures by Matthew Shlian Create Angular Geometry from Folded Paper

Paper engineer Matthew Shlian (previously here and here) combines intricate geometric tessellations with exact folds and creases to form bas-relief sculptures. Shlian has been crafting his paper artworks for several years. In recent sculptures the artist has introduced a vibrant color palette that strays dramatically from his traditional black and white works. Recent works include warm and cool tones, in addition to gouache washes that add texture and variation to his smooth paper surfaces.

In a statement on his website, Shlian explains, “My process is extremely varied from piece to piece. Often I start without a clear goal in mind, working within a series of limitations. For example on one piece I’ll only use curved folds, or make my lines this length or that angle, etc. Other times I begin with an idea for movement and try to achieve that shape or form somehow.”

Shlian is currently working on a book, tentatively due out in 2019. In the meantime you can see his work in person at Context Art Miami from December 4 – 9, 2018, shown by Duran | Mashaal Gallery. The artist also shares updates on his work via Instagram and Facebook.

Art

Vibrant Gradients of Suspended Yarn Reflect HOTTEA’S Personal Memories

Eric Rieger, known by the moniker HOTTEA (previously), is a graffiti writer turned installation artist whose medium of choice is yarn. With it, he creates colorful large-scale works inspired by the moments, experiences, and people in his life. Whether flowing down from the ceiling of a gallery, or interlaced across the top of a pedestrian pathway, Rieger’s installations always hold a connection to his past and those who helped shape it.

“Color to me represents memories and experiences,” Rieger told Colossal, “so in a way it is always in play. It all depends on what really strikes me at the moment of the installation.” When asked about his process, the artist revealed that it’s largely inspiration and concept that dictates form. “I have always let life unravel itself naturally and that informs my artistic practice. I let the space and my thoughts guide me, and from there I create a design based on what I am going through at the time.”

Rieger credits his retirement from graffiti as the catalyst that got him to his current work. “Not being able to paint anymore inspired to me to create something totally opposite,” he said, adding that the two practices are very different. “As a graffiti writer I only painted at night, I kept it from my family and I only practiced my artist name. Doing work under HOTTEA, I create all of my work during the day to interact with people, I share it with my family and create installations inspired by them… everything that I was as a graffiti writer I didn’t want to be as HOTTEA.”

Rieger’s grandmother taught him to knit at a young age, which is part of the family influence expressed through his work and his identity as an artist. “The very name HOTTEA is derived from a memory I have of my mother ordering hot tea on the weekends at Baker Square growing up,” he explained. “The name reminded me of all the good times we had as a family there and when my parents were still together. HOTTEA brings me absolute pure joy – it’s something I will fight for till the very end.” (via My Modern Met)

Art

Abstract Goldfish Swim Through Imitation Plastic Bags in Multi-Media Constructions by Riusuke Fukahori

Riusuke Fukahori (previously) has long admired the appearance of goldfish, immortalizing realistic depictions of the small creature in layers of acrylic and resin. Previously Fukahori has focused on paintings of goldfish moving inside of Japanese household objects such as bamboo hats, wooden sake cups, and handmade bowls. For his new Irobukuro series his inspiration has turned to imitating the vessels and scenery of Mong Kok’s Goldfish Market in Hong Kong, where rows of colorful fish line stall after stall. For the included works he molds resin to resemble plastic bags filled with water. Instead of realistically depicting the detailed scales, eyes, and fins of the fish Fukahori paints abstractly to capture how a goldfish glides through the water.

These works, along with some of his more traditionally painted pieces in memory-laden objects are included in his third solo exhibition with Joshua Liner Gallery  in New York City, titled Goldfish Blossoms. Fukahori will present realistic paintings in black bowls used at a Buddhist temple, paint cans from his studio, and a wooden oke tub previously used at a restaurant he frequented as a child. The exhibition opens on December 13, 2018 and runs through January 19, 2019.